The Forgotten World Highway

The Forgotten World Highway is a 150-kilometer long road that runs from Stratford to Taumaranui, mainly in the Manawatu-Wanganui district. The only real town (or settlement) once you leave the Stratford area is the Republic of Whangamomona, which is about halfway. The Highway is a winding up and down adventure through mostly unsettled, New Zealand countryside. The road was built along Maori trading routes and pioneering farm tracks.

As you leave Stratford, you see a sign indicating the Forgotten World Highway has begun. A few feet further down the road, you see another sign, this one telling you there are no gas stations for the next 150 kilometers. It takes 2-3 hours to drive the entire Highway. This might seem like rather a long time for only 150k, but the road is far from straight. It winds over 4 mountain saddles as you make your way to Whangamomona. This gives you the opportunity to enjoy farmland, mountains (you can see Mt. Taranaki in the rearview mirror, and Mt. Ruapehu in the distance), and forests.

Once you get to Whangamomona, your tummy is generally ready for a break from the car, if you are anything like me at least. My stomach is not cast-iron, but I do not normally experience car sickness much. This road however is just up and down and windy enough that after a while, I am grateful to not be a big breakfast eater (as both times I have driven the highway were in the morning). Thankfully there is a nice little pub in the middle of town (such as it is with a pub, a gift shop, a mechanic, town hall, and a few houses). They sell “I survived the Forgotten Highway” t-shirts, and all manner of standard pub food and drink.

As you leave Whangamomona, you follow the Whanganui river through the next hour of wilderness. You can expect to find a rock tunnel, a one-lane concrete bridge built in 1937, and 8 kilometers of unpaved road. There are multiple points of interest along the way including a tour of the countryside on rail cars, look-out points of scenic valleys, hiking/biking trails, Mt. Damper falls (which involves a brief detour off the highway, but well worth it), Pa sites (historic Maori settlement locations), and an incredible range of geographical changes and native delights.

See below for photos and check back soon for more information about the Republic of Whangamomona. Please note these photos are only from as far as Whangamomona on the highway, as the first time, when I drove the entire highway, I did not have my camera handy (well, to be exact, I had it handy, and was taking photos, but failed to notice that I had no memory card in the camera, oops!).